Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

• Banking
• Broker-Dealers
• Cryptocurrency
• Energy
• Financial Services
• Gift Cards and Prepaid Cards
• Healthcare
• Life Insurance and Annuities
• Loyalty, Award and Promotional Programs
• Payments and Digital Commerce
• Property and Casualty Insurance
• Restaurant and Hospitality
• Retail
• Securities and Mutual Funds
• Technology
• Telecommunications and Media

• Defending clients in dozens of multistate unclaimed property audits conducted by contingent fee auditors.
• Negotiating confidentiality agreements with robust data security protections.
• Overseeing consulting firms’ records review and the initial self-assessment process under privilege.
• Conducting legal analyses of proper reporting under the priority rules of various property types.
• Representing clients before contract auditors, state controllers/treasurers and attorneys general should disputes arise.

• Defending companies in unclaimed property litigation in state and federal courts.
• Representing 17 insurers in West Virginia unclaimed property litigation brought by the State Treasurer.
• Defending qui tam litigation in Delaware regarding unclaimed property and gift cards.

• Advising on preventive strategies to avoid unclaimed property exposures.
• Counseling on the legal status of all property types, from emerging financial and electronic products to securities distributions.
• Advising on use of the Social Security Administration Death Master File to identify unclaimed benefits and develop remediation strategies.
• Developing unclaimed property planning strategies for gift cards and other stored-value accounts, both for clients creating new programs or those looking to restructure and/or manage existing programs.

• Advising on internal compliance reviews and negotiating VDAs with state administrators.
• Directing the work of consultants in connection with records review.
• Overseeing quantification/mitigation processes to ensure the quality of analysis.
• Ensuring that legal privileges are preserved.

• Overseeing the internal compliance reviews of corporations that experienced historical merger and acquisition activity, which may entail successor liability issues.
• Analyzing the sufficiency of acquired or targeted entities’ unclaimed property compliance programs.

• Providing opinions on the application of unclaimed property and other state and federal statutes to a wide variety of property types.
• Advising on the validity and defensibility of unclaimed property planning strategies.
• Suggesting improvements to structuring and implementing approaches to strengthen clients’ filing positions.

• Conducting legal reviews of client facts and policies to determine whether unique types of accounts and balances constitute property subject to state unclaimed property laws.
• Advising whether federal or international law impacts state escheat laws pertaining to particular types of property.
• Advising whether clients are exposed to unnecessary liabilities and can eliminate or mitigate such exposure.

• Representing insurance companies in single-state and multistate market conduct exams focused on unclaimed insurance/annuity/retained asset account benefits.

§  “Diversity at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP” to “Diversity at Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP”

§  “Diversity” section:

o   The firm’s emphasis on diversity is reflected in numerous ways throughout the firm, such as the manner in which we recruit lawyers and other employees, our work-life policies and our professional service efforts. We have been recognized for our achievements in diversity.  More importantly, we understand the significant role a diverse community plays in the firm's growth and development.

§  “Our Awards and Recognitions” section:

o   Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP continues to be recognized for its efforts to promote diversity in the workplace and in the legal profession. In 2016 we were named a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality,” having earned a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, and we also were ranked a Top 100 Firm for Minority Attorneys by Law360. In addition, the firm was awarded the Gold Standard Certification for the fifth consecutive year by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum.

§  “Our Commitment” section:

o   Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP is committed to promoting diversity within the firm and in the legal profession.  We believe that diverse skills, knowledge and viewpoints make us a stronger, more productive law firm.  We hire and promote qualified lawyers and other professionals regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.  We understand that diversity enhances our value to clients by allowing us to staff our client teams with professionals who possess broad experiences and a spectrum of perspectives.

o   Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP has a cross-office Diversity Committee with responsibility for supporting and enhancing our firm culture.  Our committee has helped coordinate and lead a number of efforts to advance diversity within our firm and the community. Affinity groups at the firm serve as support networks for attorneys of color; women lawyers; and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender attorneys.

o   We are committed to working with our clients as they pursue the common goal of a professional workplace where opportunity is available to all.